Beer Drinker Accountability/Appreciation Society - Open (Page 17)

Good info on running heart rates. Whenever a friend asks me about run training I always respond: "Run often, mostly easy".

June workout update: Bike commute and 6 mile run at lunch for a double workout day. Not sure what my count is at the moment, I'll update it at the end of the week

Well said about HR Zone training, Alan!

Not sure how many readers we have out there (it's hard enough finding time to train) but I'll list a few of the books I keep on my Kindle that have helped me tremendously.  Training smart is like the wood cutter who stops to sharpen his ax.

The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing, Philip Maffetone & Mark Alan - Some think this training is dated but he explains the importance of building an endurance base (slow easy running) and how to do it.

Eating for Endurance: A Sensible Approach to Diet and Nutrition for the Endurance Athlete, Philip Maffetone - For $1.39 on Amazon why not!!  He has several other nutrition health book that are very good.

Complete Triathlon Guide, USA Triathlon - Gives more info about LT training.  Has more blah, blah, blah for someone who's done a few but very helpful for a newbie.  A-Z triathlon

The Triathlete's Bible, Joe Friel - Or just about anything from Friel

Triathlon 101, John Mora - Mora has a couple of guides for creating your own workout schedule that are very good but very detailed.  Oh, and get the book not the digital version.  Too many charts and graphs for that, trust me.

I got called into work a few nights early.  Turned my seven night shift run into ten.  It's okay though, I can better control my training and nutrition when I'm on shift.

Originally posted by jlangene Thanks for the advice on shorts! As I'm sitting here watching the Spurs whoop up on the Heat (hope I didn't just jinx it) I saw a commercial for Coors LIght Summer Brew?!? So who is going to be the first to try it? Do you have to drink it warm like the regular Coors light punishment? I just can't imagine Coors making a good summer brew

GO SPURS!  ~

Ditto on the shorts, less is more for me too!

I think the major beer manufacturers (not brewers) are attempting to compete with craft brewers.  Good luck with that....

Originally posted by Jeakins A few of thoughts... First: I have a long way to go when it comes to running! Slow and steady it continues. I am working on a couch to 5k program but it is constantly being delayed or back tracked by plantar fasciitis. I have read the only real way to ‘cure’ it is total rest from running but I really don’t want to sidetrack my training and miss out on my sprint in Sep. I am doing what the PT recommends and the condition is ‘managed’ but it is always sore for 1-3 days after a run making it difficult to be consistent. Anyone have any thoughts or advice? Just keep doing what I am doing? Second: I am at 15/28 for the challenge! Heavily weighted toward biking since I have been commuting to work but a work out is a work out right? Am I overdoing it on the bike? Third and final How do you judge when you need a recovery day? When commuting to work by end of day 3 my legs are pretty worn out. (Commute is 13 km with a 200 m elevation change, much easier on the way in) Last week I took Thursday off the bike. As a newcomer, is comuting 5 days/week too aggressive when I am trying to get in 1-2 swims and 1-2 runs also?

You have a plenty of time between now and September to get yourself ready for a Sprint. I would lay off the running for a few weeks to heal otherwise the injury will plague you all summer and potentially get worse. 

Biking that much shouldn't be an issue as long as you are fuelling your body well for quick and efficient recovery. Take a day off when you feel exhausted though.

I have a 4 tier scale that I use to assess my level of fatigue: Great, Good, Tired, Exhausted. It sounds overly simplistic but assessing yourself in such a way when you get up and then later in the day can make a big difference in determining your relative fatigue level over time. It also helps to determine how well your body is recovering and how fast. 

I have a post workout recovery ritual that I do which I find greatly helps with my ability to go hard for days at a time. 

Immediately after a workout: Banana and protein isolate followed by small meal within 2 hours after the workout (usually mixed nuts, something nutrient dense). I also do some stretching and rolling.
Before bed: An extended release protein like casein or some such thing right before I turn the lights out. That is my micro-recovery process.

Every 4th week of training I spend a week doing less frequent and/or less intense workouts to give my body some overall rest and recovery time. If I am dieting during training, I make sure that the recovery week is a non calorie-deficit week so my body is getting a full-on recovery. That is my macro-recovery process. 

Whatever you do, don't overdo it. Listen to your body. It knows when it's time to take a break. 

Lots of good stuff on pacing. 

Personally it took me a long time to figure out how to run slow enough to keep my HR down.  For quite some time I felt like I was almost walking.  It really made a difference though.  I could run a lot long and I did not feel worn out after my runs.  The more I train the faster that slow run is getting.    It's still really slow though.

If you feel comfortable at your pace and aren't having any problems, you're probably okay for now. I trained without using HR zones properly for years when I was doing marathon running. I just ran at whatever pace felt good. I must say, however, that in 7 years I was never able to beat my half marathon PB until I started training with HR. 

By temperature messing up training I just mean that hotter temperatures can cause your HR to be slightly elevated. If you are not aware of this, it can throw your analysis off. You could be running in cooler temps with a BPM of 120 and RPE of 5 at 8min/km. Then you go out for a run on the first hot day of the year and all of a sudden you now have a BPM of 130 at the same pace and RPE, you might think something is wrong or you're fatigued. In reality, it is just your body's natural reaction to the heat. My wife hates running in hot weather, she much prefers training in cold weather. I am the complete opposite, I operate much better in the heat than the cold. 

A short 1600y in the pool (I hit the STOP button instead of the LAP button on the new 910XT and missed about 500 yards of it).   Then leg strength training.  Nothing and I mean nothing is better for both the prime movers and the synergist muscles like squats!  5 sets of 15 with 60 sec rest to start!.  I feel good!  Nah nah, nah nah, nah!  Now, time to get ready for work.  /sigh

I would not recommend the Farmer Jane suit. These suits are not designed for swimming or triathlons. They're strictly meant to provide some warmth in a kayak. One the cheaper wetsuits that is still good is the Aquasphere Pursuit. Another option is to buy one second hand from a shop that does rentals. They often sell off their previous season's rental line at around this time of year. If you can try it on first, that is best. If you can't always go with the size that matches your weight over what matches your height. It's okay if suits are a little short and most can be cut if a little long. You want something this is relatively tight fitting. It should feel almost too tight when you put it on dry (they get bigger in the water). If it is too loose it will fill up with water and you will lose any benefit of wearing one. 

As for legs and arms, that's really preference and necessity. In colder water, you want arms and legs but you can still use a full suit in warm weather. No arms provides more range of motion for your stroke but also decreases buoyancy and glide slightly. I prefer a full suit because some of the Tris I do are early in the season when the water is still pretty chilly so I like the extra warmth. Even in hot weather, some Tris are at altitude, which means cold water even in July. 

As for goggles, that's a tricky one. Often I find that folks try to wear the straps too tight thinking that will provide a better seal, this actually has the opposite effect. You should be able to suction them to your face and go under water without even putting the strap on. If your having issues with that, it's probably just a matter of finding a pair that fits you correctly. If you have a small face or closely spaced eyes, try children's goggles. Otherwise just keep trying until you find something that works.

Unless it is a "dry" suit, all "wet" suits let water in. Triathlon / swimming wetsuits are designed to be more buoyant (especially in the legs) and smooth for low drag. In comparison, a wetsuit for surfing (I have one of each) is designed to be durable instead of smooth.

As for the arm/armless debate: I was leaning towards armless however I went full sleeve due to the cold Pacific waters I swim in. I don't find my range of motion limited at all. Speaking of which, I have my weekly OWS after work today! Hopefully the water will be at least 60*